title: Agreeableness, conscientiousness, and psychoticism: distinctive influences of three personality dimensions in adolescence.
abstract: Researchers have suggested that the psychoticism (P) personality dimension of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire may be largely redundant with the agreeableness (A) and conscientiousness (C) constructs of the five-factor model. Little research has examined the distinctiveness of these constructs. We utilized a multi-wave, multi-method design to examine the ability of C, A, and P to uniquely predict a number of important outcomes amongst high school students. A total of 778 students (391 males, 387 females; mean age 15.41 years.) completed personality measures in Grade 10. Self-reported self-esteem, social support, health-related behaviours, religious values as well as teachers' assessments of students, were collected 1 and 2 years later. A, C, and P were distinctive in their ability to predict these outcomes, after controlling for gender and socio-economic status as well as Grade 10 extraversion, openness, and neuroticism. The individual P items explained unique variance over and above that explained by A and C. It was concluded that P is not merely the opposite of A and C. Implications for interventions are raised.
authors.affiliation: Australian Catholic University, North Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Patrick C L
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Heaven
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ciarrochi
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Leeson
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barkus
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012067:Religion; D012649:Self Concept; D057566:Self Report; D012737:Sex Factors; D012919:Social Behavior; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors